Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic material and considered a nuisance in many situations. In the oil and gas industry, hydrogen sulfide is often present in produced natural gas and petroleum gas, and may require expensive processing for removal to acceptable levels. Current processing options do not permit gas streams having concentrations of hydrogen sulfide above certain levels to be economically processed. A variety of waste gas streams containing hydrogen sulfide are also produced in a variety of industrial processing, posing at least a disposal problem in many situations.